


FLIP

by IcyDeath



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Amnesia, Dark and Light, Finding, HE HAS A BOYFRIEND? moments, Jealousy, Kissing, M/M, Reunions, Romance, Searching, Will is worried, Worry, an exchange goes two ways, chapter two is way better, eight months and one phone call, he dreams of a hot blond guy in cut off shorts, he's dating the hot blond guy in cut off shorts, he's dating the prince of the underworld, nico is like who's will, yep, yes he's dating a guy, yin and yang
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-16
Updated: 2014-12-18
Packaged: 2018-03-01 17:16:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2781308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IcyDeath/pseuds/IcyDeath
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Instead of Percy, Nico gets taken by Hera for her 'exchange program' between the Romans and Greeks. A certain son of Apollo isn't happy about that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Lost Angel

**Author's Note:**

> This story was edited to include more expressions and hand gestures, it's like a mixture of Mr. Rick's work and my meddling. Don't own anything, credits to Rick Riordan, this is a flip story where Nico was the one taken. It's in two parts, first part on Will's view and the last part on Nico and their eventual meeting. PART 2 IS AWESOME (for me)

**The Lost Angel**

_ “I’ve noticed that sometimes when we aren’t actively searching for something, what we seek, finds us.”   
― [Darryl Webb](http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8384132.Darryl_Webb) _

 

 **I.** _Meeting Leo, Piper, and Jason_

" _Ohhh-kay,_ " Leo interrupted. "Look up there and tell me if those are flying horses." He pointed at the sky.

At first Jason thought Leo had hit his head too hard. Then he saw a dark shape descending from the east—too slow for a plane, too large for a bird. As it got closer he could see a pair of winged animals—gray, four-legged, exactly like horses—except each one had a twenty-foot wingspan. And they were pulling a brightly painted box with two wheels: a chariot.

"Reinforcements," Jason said. "Hedge told me an extraction squad was coming for us."

"Extraction squad?" Leo struggled to his feet, shaking his head lightly. "That sounds painful."

"And where are they extracting us to?" Piper asked, her eyes flashing warily.

Jason watched as the chariot landed on the far end of the skywalk. The flying horses tucked in their wings and cantered nervously across the glass, as if they sensed it was near breaking. Three teenagers stood in the chariot—a blond boy about his height only slightly taller than Jason, a tall blond girl maybe a little older than him, and a bulky dude with a shaved head and a face like a pile of bricks. The girl and the bulky dude wore jeans and orange T-shirts while the blonde boy wore light brown cargo pants and flip-flops, with shields tossed over their backs. The blond boy leaped off before the chariot had even finished moving, the blonde girl following after him. She pulled out a knife as the boy in cargo pants ran toward Jason's group while the bulky dude was reining in the horses.

"Where is he?" The blond boy, although from afar and from his clothes looked easygoing, had startling pale blue eyes that narrowed at them, a displeased frown on his face. The girl placed a hand on his shoulder, her gray eyes were fierce and calculating.

"Where's who?" Jason asked warily. He'd learned a long time ago (though he didn't remember when or where) that it was the easygoing-looking people who were scarier to anger than anyone else.

The blond guy with pale blue eyes frowned and turned to Leo and Piper, like his statement was enough to tell him he'd be useless in this conversation. But before he could open his mouth to prod them too, the blond girl cut him off. "What about Gleeson? Where is your protector, Gleeson Hedge?"

The coach's first name was Gleeson? Jason might've laughed if the morning hadn't been quite so weird and scary. Gleeson Hedge: football coach, goat man, protector of demigods. Sure. Why not?

Leo cleared his throat. "He got taken by some… tornado things." He did crazy gestures with his hands. The girl looked at him, unimpressed.

"Venti," Jason said to everyone (and his) surprise. "Storm spirits."

The blond girl arched an eyebrow. "You mean  _anemoi thuellai_? That's the Greek term. Who are you, and what happened?"

Jason did his best to explain, though it was hard to meet those intense gray eyes and to ignore the pale blue ones giving him an accusing stare. About halfway through the story, the other guy from the chariot came over. He stood there glaring at them, his arms crossed. He had a tattoo of a rainbow on his biceps, which seemed a little unusual.

Where did these people come from? And why did the three of them like glaring at him so much?

When Jason had finished his story, the blond girl had a contemplative look on her face while the blond boy next to her just seemed unsatisfied, though his pale blue eyes were more than a little worried.

The blue-eyed blond turned to his girl companion. "Dad told me he would be here, Annabeth." He seemed to be gritting his teeth. Leo was about to open his mouth and say something about gritting being bad for your teeth, but Piper, thankfully, stepped on his foot. "Dad told me that if I came here, I'd find the  _answer_."

"He said, you  _find_   _the answer_ , Will." The girl- Annabeth, Jason's mind helpfully supplied- pointed out, "Your dad didn't exactly say you'd  _find him_  here."

"Annabeth, Will." The bald guy grunted. "Check it out." He pointed at Jason's feet.

Jason hadn't thought much about it, but he was still missing his left shoe, which had been blown off by the lightning. His bare foot felt okay, but it looked like a lump of charcoal. He looked down at it quickly before giving the three newcomers nervous looks. They weren't going to scold him for just missing a shoe, right?

"The guy with one shoe," said the bald dude. "He's  _the answer_."

"No, Butch." The blond boy, called Will, said, "He can't be. I probably just got another one of my dad's confusing haikus or prophecies wrong." He ran a frustrated hand through his hair and sighed, "I'm heading back to the chariot." He said before walking off.

Piper, Leo, and Jason exchanged looks, unsure of how to take that. Were they going to leave them here in peace? What about Jason's missing memories?

The skywalk shuddered, and the horses whinnied urgently.

"Annabeth," Said the bald dude, Butch, as he turned to the blonde girl. "We gotta leave. Let's get these three to camp and figure it out there. Those storm spirits might come back."

She looked at each one of them for a moment, her eyes lingering on Jason's bare foot. "Fine." She straightened. "We'll get answers from you later, come with us."

She waited for the three of them to start walking before she and Butch flanked their sides.

Piper looked at Will twiddling with the chariot ahead. She shook her head and turned to Annabeth. For some reason, she wasn't as intimidated by her as Jason. "What's his problem? What's going on?"

"Seriously," Leo agreed.

"You have to excuse him," Butch answered for them. "Will's usually not like that. It's usually-" But then he cut himself off and shook his head.

"I have a feeling he doesn't like me much." Jason gestured towards the other blonde uncertainly.

Annabeth shrugged. "Will's okay. Better than okay. He's almost like  _literal sunshine_  back in our camp. I mean, he's friendly and responsible and kind, he's a good healer too. Everyone likes him. He's easy to like."

"Uh, are you sure we're talking about the same guy?" Leo said, trying for a light tone, "He didn't seem all that friendly earlier. I'm thinking of contesting the 'easy to like' part."

"You gotta cut him some slack." Butch said, "He had a vision telling him to come here, to find a guy with one shoe. That was supposed to be the answer to his problem."

"What problem?" Piper asked, more than a little curious.

"He's been looking for one of our campers, who's been missing three days," Annabeth's sighed. "He's going out of his mind with worry. He hoped he'd be here."

"Who?" Jason asked, wondering if it was brother or a cousin or a best friend. Annabeth and Butch exchanged looks.

"His boyfriend," Butch finally said. "A guy named Nico di Angelo."

* * *

**II.** _Yes, He's Dating a Guy…_

"A boyfriend?" Jason asked, beside him, both of Leo's eyebrows were raised so high his hair almost covered them. Piper let out a cute, tiny squeal.

"Yes. Boyfriend." Annabeth said, turning sharp gray eyes at Jason. "Will is dating a  _guy_. Does that  _shock_  you?" She raised a brow at him, challenging. Butch gave them all a glare.

Leo was shaking his head so fast you'd worry it'd fall off his shoulders. Piper cleared her throat, eyes strangely bright. "Nope, definitely doesn't bother me, not at all."

Honestly, Jason, on the other hand, wasn't so sure. He'd never really thought about guys loving guys or girls loving girls (or even if he did, he didn't remember) and now that he was being asked that question, he found that he didn't care much. It wasn't  _shocking_  really, especially if you got around thinking about what people did in the ancient times behind closed doors and even the gods in the Greek and Roman mythologies had the occasional same sex fling.

All in all, even without his memories, he was pretty sure he was okay with that.

"I guess not…" He said with a shrug, "I mean, you don't get to pick who you like." He gave a sideway glance at Piper, unsure.

"You make it sound so simple." Annabeth said but with an approving smile. "Love is anything but simple but maybe that's just because we overcomplicate things." Then she turned away from them as she and Butch jumped into the chariot. "Are we all set, Will?"

Jason, Piper, and Leo clambered in after them. The three eying Will carefully, he seemed to have regained his cool, face indifferent as he checked over their ride.

"The  _anemoi thuellai_  damaged one of the wheels, but not too badly. If we don't get any more surprise attacks, we can get back in Camp, no problem." Will assured them as he sat back on his seat. Piper was eying him as he looked away, gaze wistful. "Take it away, Butch."

"What's this camp you guys keep talking about?" Leo asked Annabeth who was standing, arms crossed like a captain of the ship, ready to launch an attack.

"A safe place,"‖ Annabeth said. "The only safe place for kids like us." She said seriously, eying them with intelligent gray eyes. "Camp Half-Blood."

* * *

**III.**  … _Not Just Any Guy, He's Dating the Prince of the Underworld_

Leo soon realized Will's heart wasn't in the tour.

After they'd landed in Camp Half Blood, told they were technically half  _god_ , met Drew the Asian Drama Queen and the other campers, Leo had been tossed over to Will for a simple 'tour around your new camp' thing. Lucky Piper got the daughter of the wisdom goddess while he got the not-so-much-sunny son of the sun god.

But Leo soon forgot about that when Will started talking and showing him around. He talked about all this amazing stuff the camp offered—magic archery, pegasus riding, the lava wall, fighting monsters —but he showed no excitement, as if his mind were elsewhere, gaze wistful. That, more than anything, bummed him out and he found he couldn't enjoy the whole being-magic-and-having-other-magic-people who could (maybe) summon fire like him too.

"Do I get a sword?" Leo asked, trying to lighten the mood.

Will glanced at him like he found the idea disturbing. At least he got him out from his brooding. "You'll probably make your own, seeing as how you're in Cabin Nine."

"Yeah, what's up with that? Vulcan?"

"Usually we don't call the gods by their Roman names," Will said. "The original names are Greek. Your dad is Hephaestus."

"Festus?" Leo had heard somebody say that before, but he was still dismayed. "Sounds like the god of cowboys."

"He-phaestus," Will corrected. "God of blacksmiths and fire."

Leo had heard that too, but he was trying not to think about it. The god of fire… Seriously? Considering what had happened to his mom, that seemed like a sick joke.

"So the flaming hammer over my head," Leo said. "Good thing, or bad thing?"

Will took a while to answer. "You were claimed almost immediately. That's usually good."

He sensed there was a story there but decided not to push. Instead he shifted the spotlight from him, "So… your dad, the sun god, huh?"

"Apollo." Oh, looks like he's losing the archer guy again. Yep, there's that long-distance look coming up on Will's face. "The god of healing, literature, prophecy… you get it."

"You mentioned him to Annabeth when you came and get us." The son of Hephaestus said, "Said something about your dad telling you your  _boyfriend_  would be there?" He hoped Will would take the bait and explain what they was happening to him. Not that he was nosy or anything just interested. Pale blue eyes looked at him, lightly shining amusement. Leo got a glimpse of the  _friendly_  and  _everybody-likes-him_  attitude Annabeth mentioned.

"They told you about Nico." He sighed, "Yeah, my dad came to me in a dream."

"Huh, gods can crawl into your dreams, not creepy at all." Leo said and Will gave him a begrudging smile.

"Well, they're too busy to appear for real and even when they do, they're usually disguised or something." The blond shrugged as they passed by the volleyball courts. "So, my dad makes it up to us by popping up in our dreams now and then. Sure, it gets annoying but it's more than what the others get so we aren't really complaining."

 _Tell me about it._  Leo sighed.  _Never saw my dad before or even heard of him until today._

"Anyway, he came to me in a dream last night." Will rubbed at his eyes and up close, Leo could see dark bags under his eyes, which was hard to notice at first because of his lightly tanned skin. "I sort of just conked out, been looking for Nico for the past few days, you know?"

Leo felt bad for the guy, he didn't know who this Nico was but Will didn't seem so bad. He wanted to help in his own way.

"When I got into the dreamscape, dad scolded me about not getting enough sleep and then decided to drop me an  _unhelpful_  hint about where my boyfriend is." He grumbled but then let out a long, tired sigh. "I'm sorry, but I was hoping Jason would at least know where he was."

"Eh," The curly-haired teen shrugged, "We're sorry too, that we weren't much help."

Will gave him another smile, this time softer. He was really starting to see the  _literal sunshine_ thing Annabeth and Butch were talking about.

"So, this Nico di-whatever guy-"

"Di Angelo." Will corrected.

"Right, him." Leo nodded, "Who's  _his_  godly parent?"

At the question, Will couldn't help but give him a small smirk. "Hades."

Leo's eyes bugged out. "What?"

"Hades." The sun god's son said simply as he walked ahead.

"Wait," Leo said as he ran up slightly to catch up with him. "Hades  _Hades_? As in  _the_  Hades?"

"Yep, that's the one."

"King of the Underworld  _Hades_?"

"Yeah."

"Lord of the Dead  _Hades_?"

"I really can't see where you're going with this-"

"The dark and brooding, god of shadows and all creepy things  _Hades_?" Leo asked as he waved his hands wildly. Will stopped, giving him a look.

"Nico's father is Hades." And he added before Leo could interrupt, "Yes, the lord of the underworld, dead, shadow-brooding  _Hades_. Zeus and Poseidon's older brother  _Hades_."

"Oh." Then the son of Hephaestus began to laugh, "Wow."

"Leo?"

The teen clutched his stomach as he wiped at his eyes, "Oh God,  _you_ -"

"What?"

"Well- you!" Leo exclaimed, still laughing breathlessly. "You, the son of Sun God, all bright and healing and being  _literal sunshine_ and you're  _dating_  a Hades kid! I mean, I don't mean it as an insult." He said quickly, "It's just, you're  _you_ , bright and curing people and stuff and  _Hades_ , well,  _he's_  all dark shadows and dragging people's soul to the Underworld right? He's your dad's total opposite! I bet his kid could see ghosts and stuff!"

"And he can summon them too. Along with zombies and skeletons." Will mumbled and Leo gave off another laugh.

"Oh man, you're dating your complete opposite! You're dads are so different that it almost seem like you're perfect for each other! Like- like yid and yar- or was it yin and yan? Ying and Yang?" He scratched at his nose. "Anyway, this is  _definitely_  funnier than Butch being the son of the Rainbow and Unicorn goddess."

"I'll tell Butch you said that."

"Uh, no, nevermind. Forget I said anything." Leo laughed nervously before shaking his head. "Seriously though, dude, you and Hades' kid. Light and dark."

"Got a problem with it?"

"What? Hell no!" The son of Hepahestus said with an easy grin, eyes soft. "I haven't met him yet but I can only imagine that you guys would  _definitely_  balance each other out." He winked, "You're definitely perfect for each other."

Will blinked in surprise before smiling, "Thanks."

* * *

_**IV.**  An Exchange Goes Both Ways_

"You're probably right," Jason agreed, with a nod. "But we have to try." He insisted. "I was sent here to learn about Camp Half-Blood, to try to convince you the two camps don't have to be enemies. A peace offering."

"Hmm," Rachel hummed thoughtfully, "Because Hera is convinced we need both camps to win the war with the giants. Seven heroes of Olympus—some Greek, some Roman."

Annabeth nodded. "Your Great Prophecy—what's the last line?"

"And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death."

"Gaea has opened the Doors of Death," Annabeth said, contemplating. Piper turned away from her for a moment to get a glimpse of a certain son of Apollo who was impatiently wrapping ace bandages around his hands, shifting his feet.

Will spoke, expression closed off. "She's letting out the worst villains of the Underworld to fight us. Medea, Midas—there'll be more, I'm sure. Maybe the line means that the Roman and Greek demigods will unite, and find the doors, and close them."

"Or it could mean they fight each other at the doors of death," Clarisse pointed out, gravely. "It doesn't say we'll cooperate."

There was silence as the campers let that happy thought sink in.

"I'm going," Will suddenly said, surprising everyone except Annabeth and Jason. The daughter of Athena just looked exasperated.

She turned towards Jason, "When you get this ship built, let Percy and I go with you too."

"I was hoping you'd offer," Jason said towards Will first. "We'd need a healer of all people with the oncoming trial ahead. And Annabeth and Percy, we'd need all the people we can get."

"Wait," Leo frowned. "I mean that's cool with me and all and I get why Annabeth and Percy are coming, but, no offense, why is Will coming too?"

Annabeth and Jason studied one another, and Jason knew she had put it together as did Will, the moment he opened his mouth about the other camp. The blonde-haired demigod son of Apollo was quiet, eyes focused in a faraway thought.

Jason was left to explain, "Hera said my coming here was an exchange, like an exchange program between two schools or something." Jason said, carefully. "A way for the two camps to learn of each other's existence."

"Yeah?" Leo said, confused. Piper seemed to get it though, eying Will with understanding. "So?"

"An exchange goes two ways," Jason said with a sigh, "When I got here, my memory was wiped. I didn't know who I was or where I belonged. Fortunately, you guys took me in and I found a new home. I know you're not my enemy. The Roman camp—they're not so friendly. You prove your worth quickly, or you don't survive. They may not be so nice to him, and if they learn where he comes from, he's going to be in serious trouble."

"Him?" Leo said. "Who are you talking about?" He looked at everyone's we-get-it expressions.

"Will's boyfriend," Annabeth said grimly. "Nico disappeared around the same time Jason appeared. If Jason came to Camp Half-Blood…"

Will's expression was damn right scary now and the son of Jupiter cleared his throat trying to clear the tension as well.

"Exactly," Jason agreed. "Nico di Angelo is at the other camp, and he probably doesn't even remember who he is."

 


	2. The Son of Pluto

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAZEL IS ALIVE. I'm going with one of Hades minions setting her free so that the prophecy could come true by secret order of Hades.

**The Son of Pluto**

“For there is nothing lost, that may be found, if sought.”   
― [Edmund Spenser](https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/11145.Edmund_Spenser),  _[The Faerie Queene](https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/19904)_

**I.** _He Dreams of a Hot Blonde Guy in Cut-Off Shorts_

Nico hated tests. Since he'd lost his memory, his whole life was one big fill-in-the-blank. He was _, from _. He felt like _, and if the monsters caught him, he'd be _. Then he thought about someone waiting for him in his past life. He definitely felt someone was waiting for him and whoever it was he had to find that person.

Nico though his dreams were maybe a test too, to test him with temptation of either going on a quest with his newfound sibling, Hazel Levesque, daughter of Pluto.

That night, the son of Pluto slept like a Medusa victim- which is to say, like a rock. He hadn't crashed in a safe, comfortable bed since…well, he couldn't even remember. Even if he did, he felt like fatigue and exhaustion was somehow common to him. It was rest that was rare. Despite his insane day and the million thoughts running through his head, his body took over and said:  _You will sleep now._

He had dreams, of course. He always had dreams, but they passed like blurred images from the window of a train. He saw a pot-bellied, light blonde, sleepy-looking kid trailing after him with a yawn.

" _Hey,"_  Nico called grumpily,  _"Stop following me around, go and get some rest or something. It's not my fault if you trip and fall asleep on the ground."_  The other kid looked like he could definitely do that.

" _What?"_  The other teen said rubbing at his eyes and pausing mid-yawn  _"No, Nico, it's me, Clo-Clo-"_  He yawned.  _"Clovis."_  He finished.  _"The connection isn't all that good…"_  He mumbled before adding,  _"Stay put… We're on our way to find you. Mrs. O'Leary is sniffing your tracks, we think she's the closest. We're trying to get a lock on your position."_

" _What?"_  Nico called, but the boy disappeared in the fog.

Then suddenly another blonde kid appeared, a few feet beside him, surprising Nico. He was taller than Nico with shaggy blonde hair and pale blue eyes. He wore SURF'S UP shirt and cut-off shorts with flip-flops. It should look weird but oddly enough, Nico just found it endearing. The guy was definitely  _hot_  and he was running towards him, reaching out his hand, blue eyes twinkling in worry.

" _Thank the gods!"_  He called and he had the urge to reach out and take his hands.  _"For months and months we couldn't see you! Are you all right?"_

Nico remembered what Juno had said—for months he has been slumbering, but now he is awake. The goddess had intentionally kept him hidden, but why?

" _Who are you?"_  He asked and hot blonde guy blinked, expression turning to hurt. Nico didn't like seeing that expression and asked instead,  _"Are you real?"_  He stopped walking and so did the other guy.

He wanted so much to believe that these people in his dreams were possibly the ones waiting for him in his past life, it he felt like Hannibal the elephant was standing on his chest. But the blonde guy's face began to dissolve. As a last ditch attempt, the guy beside him reached out, cupped his face and let their foreheads meet.  _"Stay put."_  He whispered in a soft tone, effectively making Nico freeze both at the tone and contact.  _"It'll be easier for Mrs. O'Leary to find you,_  stay where you are. _"_  He insisted and Nico met the familiar blue eyes, electricity tingled at the points he touched him. The stranger leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead,  _"Doctor's orders."_

He was gone.

Nico knew that he probably had other important dreams too, like a ship being built or Gaea or one of her weird Titan sons but he was too out of it to even register anything past shaggy blonde hair and pale blue eyes.

He sincerely hoped that hot blonde guy in cut-off shorts wasn't a sibling or just a concerned relative coming to find him.

* * *

**II.** He _Gets Hit On by Someone who is not Reyna_

Hazel, Frank, and Nico were leaving after the unhelpful meeting. They were only halfway across the forum when some called, "Di Angelo!" Nico turned and saw Reyna walking towards them.

"Praetor." Nico greeted respectfully, throughout the whole forum, it was only the female praetor who seemed to be fair and unbiased. She had earned his respect and judging by the quick smile on the other's face, the feeling was mutual.

"I personally apologize for being unable to provide a better way for you to travel." She said with a sigh, "I'm a loyal Roman and majority votes always trump my authority, I'm afraid at this rate I may end up with an unwanted partner." The three of them immediately knew who she was talking about.

Frank barely held back a snarl. "That backstabbing, slimy—" He began to mutter but Hazel placed a hand on his arm to calm him.

"So," Reyna said. "I would appreciate it if the three of you come back alive. When you return successful then you must be prepared for the fact that I have to consider one of the three of you as my next fellow praetor."

The three seemed surprised but nodded.

An invisible weight left the female praetor's shoulders, "Good. Nico, I want you to report to the principia without Hazel and Frank." Her tone seemed apologetic and the son of Pluto wondered why until Reyna said, "Octavian wishes to talk of your oncoming quest and insists it was of the utmost importance." And the frown on her face suggested that she did not like it when the legacy of Apollo abused his power as Augur.

"Very well," Nico said with a nod as he turned to his sister and his sister's maybe-not-boyfriend, "I'll see you guys later."

"See ya." Frank nodded.

"If he says anything bad, tell us and I'll have the horses stampede at him." Hazel said seriously. Nico laughed briefly and leaned in to kiss her cheek as Reyna gave him a respectful nod.

"Good luck and I hope we see each other soon, Nico di Angelo."

oOo

"Nico, Nico, Nico…" The annoying falsely sweet voice of a certain Legacy of Apollo pervaded his ears the moment he stepped into the  _principia_. He resisted the urge to shudder. "Nico  _di Angelo_ , another child of Pluto. The  _angel_  child of Pluto." Octavian flashed him a smile that he supposed was to be soft and sweet but just looked like a maniac grin to him, "And what an interesting angel you are, the way you rescued those buffoons and brought Lady Juno here, your powers…" His eyes flashed hungrily.

It took every ounce of Nico's being not to flinch back. Flinching is a sign of weakness, he decided.

"Those  _buffoons_  are my sister and her… friend." He said, face indifferent. "Octavian, I'm gonna be honest with you- I don't like you and what you're saying right now isn't exactly making you look any better in my perspective."

"Oh but who cares what you think," The Augur said stepping towards him, he stepped back. "You're perfect to me and with the offer I'm about to give you, pretty soon you'd find yourself groveling on your knees."

Nico scowled, dropping his monotone mask, "I really doubt that. I'm not on your side and after what happened in the war games,  _I will never be on your side._ "

Octavian's face finally showed traces of frustration before he donned on the fake smiling mask again, "Oh but di Angelo, you haven't even heard my proposal yet."

"No."

"I have an unlimited amount of money to sponsor-"

"No."

"I could make your quest easier-"

"No."

"Hazel and Frank won't be outsiders-"

"No."

"Together we can unsurp Reyna and-"

"No."

"I-"

"No." Nico said and two hands grabbed him by the shoulder. The son of Pluto took a step back, growling at him. Octavian was either suicidal, brainless, desperate, or all three because he didn't let go and closed the distance between them, face disgustingly inches from his own.

"Oh dear, I don't like pawns that play hard to get." He said and Nico stepped on his foot but Octavian ignored it or, judging by the hastily covered pained look on his face, he  _tried to_. "But you, di Angelo, you don't have to be a pawn, you can be my  _queen_ -"

Thankfully, the Augur wasn't able to finish his sentence because Nico chose that moment to kick him in the groin to where the legacy of Apollo stumbled back with a shrill yell of pain, "You're disgusting." The son of Pluto said before turning and heading out, ignoring the curses and pained whimpers behind him.

Serves him right for even daring to touch him.

oOo

Meanwhile, at a certain Camp in Long Island…

Will's face was unreadable as Percy clapped him on the back, "Hey Will, something the matter?"

"Hm," The son of Apollo hummed thoughtfully, "I just had this really awful feeling but I think it' okay now. Everything's right with the world again."

Percy nodded like this was a normal answer while Leo looked at them weirdly from where he was screwing some bolts.

"Do you have any idea what they're talking about?" Piper asked Annabeth who seemed to be looking at the scene in amusement.

"It's nothing, we're just used to Will being like this." The daughter of Athena explained, "Sometimes he gets this weird, slightly annoyed look on his face. Of course we couldn't get it at first but then we realized that Will always looked annoyed but apparently it happens whenever someone hits on Nico. Though most of the times he has  _no way_  of knowing that Nico was being hit on of course. It's just like he has this sixth sense about him or something."

"Oh." Piper said,  _must be a child of Apollo thing,_  she decided. "But he said 'everything's right with the world again', that must mean whoever is flirting with Nico backed off right?"

Clarisse snorted, "Or di Angelo kicked him in the balls."

Jason seemed to do a double-take. He had been lifting a heavy toolbox and thankfully didn't drop it on his foot. But it was a close thing. "What?"

"Nico doesn't like anyone being near him or annoying him or flirting with him or even touching him." Annabeth explained, "So he's prone to kicking people where it hurts if they overstepped their boundaries."

"Not that Will's complaining." One of Will's siblings, Austin, said. "Even though he's a medic and should be telling his boyfriend off for causing harm on others, he lets Nico kick anyone he wants if they make him uncomfortable or flirts with him. He's selfish like that."

Will's face flushed, "HEY!"

Leo gave out a low whistle, "Wow, you're whipped."

"Shut up." The Apollo counselor grumbled.

Jason sighed, "And he isn't even denying it." He laughed and met Piper's eyes before looking away, flushed. The daughter of Aphrodite seemed satisfied with that reaction.

Annabeth shook her head, "Okay guys, get your head back in the game. Back to work!"

* * *

**III.** _Don't Freak Out, But I think I have a Boyfriend_

"You're quiet." Frank said to the son of Pluto, Hazel was busy looking over the map, making plans about travelling the land through train.

"I'm remembering." Nico answered as he poked at his eggs.

"Oh." The Canadian-Chinese said, looking interested, "Remembered anything important?"

The son of Pluto wrinkled his nose, "I had a sister, someone other than Hazel."

"What? Really? What's her name?" Even Hazel looked up interested.

"Bianca." And at the mention of her name, his heart did a painful squeeze and before any of them could ask if he knows where she was or how she was, he added, "I think she's-" He let out a breath. "She's gone."

Frank opened his mouth, not knowing what to say before his expression set and he nodded. He didn't ask for more details, which Nico appreciated. He didn't say he was sorry, or make any of the well-meaning comments most people who were grieving always hated:  _Oh, you poor guy. That must be so hard on you. You have my deepest condolences._

As the son of Pluto, Nico had faced death before, (though he may not remember it) like he knew about grief (more than anyone else probably). What mattered was listening. You didn't need to say you were sorry. The only thing that helped was moving on—moving forward.

Nico may not remember it but he had a feeling that he  _had_  moved on, moved forward. Probably with the help of someone, someone important to him, someone he could barely remember. "I also remember a few people, like an Annabeth, a Percy, a Tha- Thalia? I don't exactly remember how but they helped me and my sister."

Frank nodded at this, interested and Hazel was looking at her brother with slight worry. In a joking tone, Frank asked, "Remember any girlfriend?"

At those words, Nico flushed and averted his eyes, "I- uh,"

"Nico?"

"Uhm," The son of Pluto let out a breath, running a hand down his face. "Don't freak out, okay?" He grumbled because from the short instance he knew Hazel, he realized that his younger sister was a bit  _more_  than 'old-fashioned', she  _was_  old fashioned. She came from the forties and although Nico sensed that once upon a time he may have been wary about his sexuality, he also knew that something may have changed because right now, he really didn't care much about what other people thought. He just wanted Hazel (and to an extent, Frank) to know him a bit more. "I may have had a crush on Percy."

"Oh."

"Percy's a guy."

"… _Oh._ "

"And…" Nico took in a deep breath, aware of the wide-eyed looks, "I think I  _may_  have a  _boyfriend_ , waiting for me somewhere? I don't remember but it feels like that sometimes."

"Is it that Percy bloke…?"

"No! No, I don't think so." Nico said, eyes wide. "I mean, I was a kid back then and Percy, from what I remember, was crushing on Annabeth and vice versa."

"Oh, then who…?"

A blonde entered Nico's mind and he wondered if his guess of having a boyfriend was right and if it was  _that_  guy.  _I hope so_ , he found himself thinking. Instead of answering, he shook his head and shrugged. "I honestly can't remember," Then he turned his face towards Hazel who was flushed and fanning herself. He asked warily, "Is that okay?" He was asking Hazel more than Frank because 1) Frank was a modern kid, most modern kids understood and accepted the whole liking the same gender thing and 2) Hazel was his sister.

"I… uh, in my time, people would hate you for that but…" Hazel let out a breath, "But this isn't the forties anymore and you're my brother and I'd love you even if you said you were an axe murderer." She said in determination before flushing again, "Besides, I find it sorta… cute? Hot?" She covered her face while Frank stared at her in astonishment.

Nico had the mad urge to laugh. Instead his shoulders slumped in relief. "Thanks Hazel, that means a lot."

A hand reached out to touch his. "Of course, brother."

* * *

**IV.** _He Makes a Call to a Number He Barely Remembers_

The station wasn't far. They were just in time to buy tickets for the last train south. As his friend and sister climbed on board, Nico said, "Be with you in a sec," and ran back into the station.

He got change from the gift shop and stood in front of the pay phone. He'd never used a pay phone before. They were strange antiques to him, like his sister's turntable or his teacher Chiron's Frank Sinatra cassette tapes (he remembers a Chiron now, it's strange how far his memory has stretched since he left Camp Jupiter). He wasn't sure how many coins it would take, or if he could even make the call go through, assuming he remembered the number correctly.

_Will Solace,_ he thought.

He remembered befriending a kid from the Apollo Cabin a year after being dragged into Camp. The Will in his memories was a lot younger than the one in his dreams but he could safely say they were the same person. Blonde hair, pale blue eyes, lightly tanned skin that was definitely Will.

His Will, his best friend.

He wondered if they eventually became something more in time. If he was honestly still so hung up on Percy even after all this time, he'd definitely like to kick his younger self in the head. He was so easily blinded by heroes that sometimes he failed to notice that someone amazing was already beside him.

Nico let out a sigh.

He picked up the receiver and punched in a New York number—Will's old phone, his first one. He gave his number to a surprised, younger Nico while he went back to school, made Nico promise to call at least once a month, even though it was dangerous for demigods to be carrying phones. Will explained he kept his phone inside a special box his dad gave him on his tenth birthday. This box prevented monsters from tracking him via phone so that he could use it sometimes without being attacked.

Nico memorized it, he was that grateful.

The receiver rang several times, Nico's heart pounding in his chest. Finally it clicked and went straight to voice mail. Of course, it was midnight and Will was probably at Camp. Hearing Will's cheerful voice made something in his chest tighten and he was grateful that he kept his old phone even after all this time.

" _-and if this is you Nico, then you better not be overexerting yourself again with all that Underworld-y stuff._ " Nico had that urge to roll his eyes, " _Doctor's orders!_ "

_Beep!_

"Will," Nico choked out. This was the first time he said the blonde's name ever since he remembered it. "I- uh, I'm okay. I'm sorry." He said hurriedly, he wondered if he was apologizing for not remembering the blonde or for not staying put like he said, or both. "I'm on a quest, with good people. I can't say who, it's- it's complicated." He winced, Will never liked cryptic messages, he could almost imagine blue eyes narrowing at him. "I know I'm stuck on something big here but I'll make it back home. Promise."

He opened his mouth to say something, three words. He took a deep breath and said, "Will Solace-" but then the phone clicked and the line went dead.

He was out of change.

He put down the receiver. He stared at the phone, hoping it would ring back. The train whistle sounded. The conductor shouted, "All aboard!"

Nico jumped and then stepped into the nearest, darkest shadow. He materialized on his seat, surprising Frank and Hazel. He watched out the window just as they were pulling up the steps,

Hazel frowned, eyes twinkling in worry. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he croaked. "Just… made a call."

His sister and Frank seemed to get that. They didn't ask for details.

oOo

The sun shone through the windows of the Apollo Cabin but Will didn't feel like getting up. His arm was thrown over his eyes, lips set into a frown. After that first dream contact, he hadn't been able to reach Nico ever since. His hands clenched into fists in frustration.

But then a loud knock on the door shook him out of his worry. Kayla had opened the door and ushered in a harried-looking Jason.

"Sorry to wake you up so early but your mom just called the Big House." The son of Jupiter said and Will got up immediately, heart beating fast against his ribs and wondering if something happened.

When he reached the Big House, he immediately grabbed the phone from Annabeth's hand. Leo and Piper were there too. Apparently the daughter of Aphrodite had been making another call to her father. (Chiron kept a phone and computer in the Big House for a few calls, their connection was protected by the gods for like, a minute and a half). "Mom?" He asked in worry.

"Hey, honey, how're you doing? Found Nico yet?" His mom sounded fine and Will let out a relieved breath.

"I'm fine, Nico is-" He could feel Annabeth exchanging worried looks with Jason, as did Piper and Leo. "Still haven't found Death Boy."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll find him soon, Will."

"Yeah," He croaked.

"Anyway, I called you about your phone. I was cleaning your room and I opened the box your dad gave you and saw you had a voice mail. I know that you only give your number to a few people and I thought this may be important." She said.

Will pressed speaker so they could all hear it clearly. "Okay, play it over the phone."

There was a few seconds of fumbling before a familiar tone flooded through.

" _Will._ " The son of Apollo's heart almost stopped beating when he heard the voice. His blue eyes were wide and he gripped the edge of the desk tightly. Leo mouthed  _Nico?_ to which Annabeth nodded.  _"I- uh, I'm okay. I'm sorry. I'm on a quest, with good people. I can't say who, it's- it's complicated."_  The son of Hades winced and Will's eyes narrowed, he wondered if Nico remembered he didn't like cryptic messages. He had enough of that as a son of Apollo, thanks.  _"I know I'm stuck on something big here but I'll make it back home. Promise."_

"Nico-" Will started to say but the son of Hades wasn't finished. Everyone could almost feel his nervous tension. On the other end, Nico took a deep breath.

" _Will Solace-_ " His tone clearly indicated that he was about to say something more and Will wished he hadn't put the phone on speaker because he had a pretty good idea what it was Nico wanted to say.

But then the call cut off and there was a long  _beep_ on the other end.

Will stared, stunned.

"I'm sorry, I think that was all of the message." Will's mom came back on. "Are you okay, Will?"

It took awhile for the Apollo counselor to find his voice again and he said, "Yeah, I- thanks mom."

"No problem, honey. I'll call you soon again, okay? Love you." She said.

"Yeah, love you too." He mumbled as the connection broke. Everyone was silent behind him.

Until Leo decided to break it of course, "Wow. Never thought that Nico di Angelo would pull a tenth doctor on us, he's got taste." Then he added, "Which would make Will, Rose Tyler- ow!" He yelped when Piper nudged him on the ribs.

"We better get back to work." Annabeth said to the three as they nodded reluctantly. She turned to the healer, "You coming, Will?"

Will nodded, distracted. "I'm coming, just- just give me a second." The head of the Athena cabin consented and he gestured for the others to go ahead.

Leo and Jason clapped the son of Apollo on the shoulder while Piper said in a soothing tone, "We'll find him." She assured before leaving.

"She's right, you know." Annabeth said when Will said nothing for several seconds.

The blonde son of Apollo let out a breath, "I know." He said before standing up, eyes set in determination, "Let's go."

* * *

**V.** _He Almost Gets Drowned by Mother Earth_

Frank hovered over them, yelling, "Oh, gods! Oh, gods! Oh, gods!" He yanked some extra clothes from his bag and started toweling off Hazel's face, but it didn't do much good. He dragged Nico farther from the muskeg.

"You were down there so long!" Frank cried. "I didn't think—oh gods, don't ever do something like that again!"

He wrapped Hazel in a bear hug.

"Can't—breathe," she choked out and despite lacking breath, Nico still found it in himself to clear his throat. The son of Mars jumped back, faced flushed.

"Sorry!" And he went back to fussing over them.

Later, when Hazel led them to a safe house nearby to clean up, Frank volunteered to get them some towels and other necessities. Once he was gone, Nico and Hazel made temporary camp. They took off their jackets and tried to scrape off the mud. They found some old blankets in a crate and used them to clean up. They discovered that boxes of greeting cards made pretty good places to rest if you arranged them like mattresses.

Nico set his sword on the floor, running a hand through his muddy hair. He gestured for Hazel to stretch out on a bed of Merry Christmas 1982.

"Thank you for saving me," He said to his sister who gave him a warm smile.

"You would have done the same for me."

"Yes," Nico agreed. "But when I was down in the mud, I remembered that line from Ella's prophecy—about the son of Pluto drowning in the shadows. I thought, ' _This is what it means. I'm drowning in the shadows of the earth._ ' I was sure I was dead."

His voice quavered like it had his first day at Camp Jupiter, when Hazel had told them they were siblings but that she didn't know who he was either.

"Nico," She said, "That prophecy might not have been complete. Frank thought Ella was remembering a burned page. Maybe you'll drown someone else in the shadows."

He looked at her cautiously. "You think so?"

Hazel felt strange reassuring him. He was so much powerful than she would ever be, stronger than even Reyna and maybe even Jason. But she nodded confidently. "You're going to make it back home. You're going to see your boyfriend, Will." She gave him a small teasing smile, "I'm sure he's waiting for you."

Nico flushed, ducking his head. "I- I'm not even sure if I'm dating him." He pointed out.

"Oh please, even though you barely remember him, he's all you talk about in the train." His sister said, "I'm sure that after all of those years together, you guys got  _somewhere_."

"Like you and Frank eventually will when we get back?" He shot back, turning the tables, Hazel flushed. "Should I have my big brother speech ready? I think summoning an army of skeletons would get my message across perfectly, don't you think?"

She punched him on the shoulder, face burning. "Nico!"

Nico gave her a small smile before saying. "I'm serious though, I won't let anyone hurt you, I'll make sure that we all get home safe."

Gold eyes stared at him before the daughter of Pluto leaned against him, "Yeah, I guess that means I better start practicing my 'little sister' speech for when I meet this Will guy."

Nico kissed her on the forehead, "You better." And Hazel smiled.

* * *

**VI.** _Thankfully, He Didn't Drown in Shadows_

Nico was waiting for them after they defeated the giant. He looked angry. He stood at the edge of the glacier, leaning on the staff with the golden eagle, gazing down at the wreckage he'd caused: several hundred acres of newly open water dotted with icebergs and flotsam from the ruined camp when he'd dug his blade on the ice, shadows rippling through the cracks. The pieces of the glacier looked more gray than white now, it was terrifying.

The only remains on the glacier were the main gates, which listed sideways, and a tattered blue banner lying over a pile of snow-bricks.

When they ran up to him, Nico raised an eyebrow at their stunned faces.

"You're alive!" Frank marveled.

Nico frowned. "The fall? I can shadow travel out of any fall if there are enough shadows. Thankfully, the icebergs breaking to pieces created enough shadows to travel midair and back up."

"Wow," Hazel said looking around.

"The important thing  _is_  the only shadow I drowned in was in shadow-travelling out of the fall."

"So the prophecy  _was_  incomplete!" Hazel grinned. "It probably said something like: The son of Pluto will drown in shadows to defeat a whole bunch of ghosts!"

Dark eyes narrowed and Nico seemed unsure, "Maybe or it could refer to something else, something about the future. I know that I'm not part of the Seven of the Prophecy so there must be a bigger role waiting for me out there and maybe that's when Ella's prophecy will come to fruition."

Hazel and Frank looked horrified, "You can't think like that! And besides, with how powerful  _you_ are? How can you think you're  _not_  part of the Seven?"

The son of Hades raised an eyebrow in their direction, "Gaea and Juno told me themselves. Juno said that I have a great role to play in what's to come, though I'm not part of the Seven. Why do you think Gaea tried to drown me in the muskeg? She wanted me to slumber in the earth forever so that I don't get in the way of her plans in reviving her children. She also mentioned that I was a nuisance despite not being part of the Seven."

"Oh." Frank said.

Nico smiled at their faces, "Hey, it's fine. If anything, I'm pretty sure the two of you are part of the strongest Seven demigods in the Prophecy. How couldn't you be?"

The two Romans gave him an 'are-you-crazy-look?' Like they were accosting him for not thinking himself for being powerful enough to be part of the Prophecy but believing the two of them were instead.

"Just trust me." He said as he straightened and dusted at his aviator's jacket. "Brother's intuition."

* * *

**VII.** _Yeah, He's Definitely Dating the Hot Blonde Guy in the Cut-Off Shorts_

"You're nervous." Hazel whispered to her brother as the ship stayed in place, pausing in its descent. A rope ladder fell from underneath, long enough to touch the ground. "Why are you nervous?"

"I don't know." Nico hissed back, "Maybe it's because I'm still missing months of my memories and I'm  _pretty sure_  Will is going to kill me when we see each other."

Frank looked at him in confusion, "But isn't he the son of Apollo? A healer?"

"That won't stop him from being mad. Actually, now that I think about it, it's  _because he's a medic_  that he usually gets mad at me." The son of Hades sighed tiredly, "He's always nagging my ears off about eating and about using my powers too much."

"I'm liking him more and more by the second." Hazel said in approval.

"But hey, you and Will are dating right? Maybe he'd be too happy to see you're safe and forget about getting mad." Frank offered.

Nico brushed his long bangs to the side as he rolled his eyes, "Yeah, I don't even remember if we're dating. For all I know he's still the 'best friend I have a crush on' or maybe, in the few months I don't remember, he got himself a girlfriend or-" He paled.

The daughter of Pluto patted him on the arm, "It'll be fine, I'm pretty sure he likes you too and that you're dating. He'd be pretty stupid not to make a move on you after all those years together. And Frank's right, he'll be happy to see you're safe."

"Okay." Nico deflated, "But just in case, don't tell him about nearly drowning in the muskeg or falling off a glacier. I'll never hear the end of it. Will can  _never_  know about that."

"I can never know about what?"

Nico froze and Hazel and Frank looked up stunned. They just realized that the Romans around them had grown quiet. A tall blonde boy with an archer's build was looking at them with arms crossed. "Nico."

The son of Hades' vision and hearing tunneled, there was a strange buzzing noise in his ears he couldn't get rid of. He turned his eyes towards his blonde best friend, barely aware of the space given by the Romans for them.

Will looked good,  _better_  than he last remembered. His shaggy blonde hair was windblown from his time in the ship, pale blue eyes bright and he was wearing his signature orange camp shirt, jeans (instead of his usual cut-off shorts), and flip-flops. He seemed taller and tanner, probably from his time under the sun while he helped the Hephaestus Cabin build the ship hovering over New Rome. His left hand was wrapped in ace bandages, a bad habit he always got into when he was nervous or worried. The familiar scene broke the lump in Nico's throat.

"Will." The son of Hades said weakly, "Hi."

Pale blue eyes narrowed as Will stepped forward and grabbed Nico by the front of his shirt, an angry look on his face. The Romans cried out, some surged forward, but somewhere behind Will, Reyna shouted, "Hold! Stand down!"

For one crazy, nervous, tense second, Nico thought the son of Apollo was  _finally_  going to punch him. After all, he'd been doing stupid things all his life and the disappearing act of eight months would have probably taken the cake and made Will snap.

But then again, maybe he should've expected the hard press of lips against his, more.

Nico's eyes widened. Will was warm and smelled like the sun, one of his hands cupped Nico's face and his touch burned and sent electricity racing through his veins.

It all felt familiar.

_Okay,_ Nico thought dizzily, at the back of his mind he could hear a few roman girls plus Hazel, and one of the Greek girls (Piper) squealing. He had a feeling that his sister had slapped a hand over her eyes and was peeking through her fingers.  _So, I've definitely kissed him before. That's good._

Finally, Will pulled back. Nico could see anger, bitterness, and worry all over the blonde's expression and he opened his tingling mouth to say something but all Nico could say was, "Oh, uh…"

" _Eight months_ , eight _long_  months _,_ Di Angelo." He said in an angry tone, eyes still narrowed. "And all you can say is  _'hi'_?"

"I- uh…" Really, what else did Will expect him to say? Suddenly appearing like that without any warning, he didn't give time for Nico to collect himself and prepare a speech of apology or anything! And then suddenly kissing him in front of all these people like that! Did Will expect his brain to be working after that display?

Not being able to think straight, the son of Hades just blurted out, "I remember you. You're Will, Will Solace. At first I only remembered what you look like but then I finally remembered your name and I thought about you while I was out on a quest. I called your old phone and during the times when I thought I was going to fail or worse die, I thought about you and I managed to get through everything just because I wanted to see you again."

Everyone was silent again and Will was staring at him wide-eyed, cheeks red. Nico's brain finally caught up with what he said and his own face flushed. Oh gods, why did he say that? If there was any better time for the ground to swallow him up, it would be now. Gaea be damned. Then Nico noticed the long shadows on his feet and thought,  _Oh okay, shadows could work too._

But just as Nico readied himself to be whisked away by the darkness, Will frowned as though reading his mind. "Oh no, you don't." He said and with quick movements no one could track, he had an ace bandage tied to Nico's wrist and connected to his own wrist.

"Ooh,  _kinky_!" One of the Romans, probably Dakota, yelled before Gwen stepped on his foot.

"Uh, Will, what are you doing?" Jason asked behind them.

Nico scowled, taking advantage of Will letting go of him to shadow travel, but to his surprise his powers didn't work. He shot a wide-eyed look at Will.

"It's a bandage I developed especially for you, Death Boy." The son of Apollo said, tying it securely over his own wrist. He grabbed Nico's hand in his own, and the son of Hades' flush darkened. "It nulls a person's powers temporarily. It's pretty handy especially for those patients who don't listen to  _Doctor's orders_  and abuses their powers."

Nico grumbled, glaring at their joined hands, "You're not even a doctor."

"No." Will said as he leaned forward and kissed the scowl off the other's face. "I'm your boyfriend which gives me higher authority to boss you around." Some Romans made a whipping sound and Nico shot them a glare. "Now, as I was saying,  _eight months_." He said pointedly and Nico looked down at the ground guiltily, "And you gave me  _one_ phone call. We have a  _lot_  to talk about."

He dragged Nico towards the others, turning to Reyna who gave him a raised eyebrow and impressed look. Octavian was steaming in the background. "Where's your infirmary or medical bay? I have to check that this idiot didn't go overboard as always."

"That way, near the Senate House." Reyna pointed out.

Octavian fumed, "Reyna, we can't-" But the Praetor raised a hand of silence in his direction. He let out an annoyed grunt. Will gave his direction a raised eyebrow, Octavian shot him a heated glare.

"Thanks." Will said to Reyna as he shot Octavian a suspicious look before dragging Nico to the direction the Praetor pointed at. The catcalls and whistles followed them all the way to the Medical Bay Area.

When they were out of sight, however, Nico was suddenly pulled into Will's embrace. His dark eyes widened when he felt his arms trembling around him as Will buried his face on his shoulder.

"You have no idea-" The son of Apollo choked out, "I was so worried." Nico uncertainly placed his arms around the other. Will relaxed at his touch, "Gods, you're such an  _idiot_ , di Angelo."

Those words seemed to act like a trigger, and the last few months of Nico's missing memory came back to him like puzzles finally fitting into place.

Will laughing at him, pushing him into the lake last summer. Will fussing over him when he got a cold from his time on the lake. Will frowning as he left to go to school while Nico stayed behind at camp as always. Will showing up at camp during Christmas, standing outside of the Hades' Cabin, ears pink and cheeks red from the cold and blushing as he stood under the snow in a blue knitted snow cap and a large, green wool sweater. When Nico asked what he was doing there, the blonde flushed even darker as he pointed at something above the door. It was a mistletoe.

" _Gods, you're such an idiot, di Angelo." Will grumbled at him when Nico just gaped in reply, unsure of whether to shadow travel or hide under his bed for all eternity. Before he could do either, the son of Apollo leaned forward and kissed him._

"Solace." Nico said as he pulled back both from the memories and the hug. The blonde looked at him, blue eyes dim in the darkening light. He grabbed the other's face and kissed him at the corner of his mouth, "Thank you." He said when he pulled back.

Will closed his eyes, "If you  _ever_  leave me again-" He started to say and Nico smiled.

"I know." He said before leaning forward to kiss him properly this time.

In his mind, all he could think of was:  _Yeah, he's definitely dating the hot blonde guy in the cut-off shorts._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *happily updates* Yehey, we finally have internet in our place! *celebrates* Thank you, by the way for your amazing review guys! They were more than I can hope for. I guess people like stories when they aren't angst, haha. I'm still gonna recommend my two other Solangelo fics though (Forget-Me-Not Black and I'll Stay With You) XD I hope I can find a good idea for a Christmas fic soon, give me ideas? XD THANKS AND STAY AWESOME SOLANGELO FANSSSS
> 
> I know the part about Nico and the iceberg had no solangelo in it but it felt wrong to skip that part after mentioning the prophecy o_o
> 
> ANYWAY *hugs all of you and gives you skull and sun shaped cookies* Leave kudos and comments!

**Author's Note:**

> Short I know, but I personally love part two. It's more, unique :P Will be updated in two or three days, keep an eye out :D THANKS (and it's longer and it's called 'The Son of Pluto' and it's just awesome. It includes the eventual 'meeting again' scene.
> 
> All questions will be answered in the next chapter!
> 
> Love solangelo? Come by my [tumblr](http://emrysblu.tumblr.com/tagged/solangelo)!


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